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10 Safest Used Cars for Teens

Photo Credit: Toyota

January 6, 2019
By Jeff Zurschmeide

All parents want their teen drivers to be as safe as possible, but budgets also are a major consideration when looking for an appropriate car for a less-experienced driver. Few families can afford to buy a teen a brand-new car as a learning vehicle. Fortunately, there are many high-quality used cars that do not compromise safety, and they are available at attractive price points.

Here are 10 late-model used cars that cover all the bases. They’re affordable, many are still covered by factory warranty, and all 10 received the highest “Top Safety Pick +” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. If you’re looking at used cars for your teen driver, start here.

2016 Volkswagen Golf

Any teen would be thrilled to drive a sporty 2016 Volkswagen Golf. Volkswagen provides standard safety features including post-collision braking, stability and traction controls, and anti-whiplash head restraints. Notable optional safety features include blind spot and rear cross traffic alerts, a backup camera, lane departure alert, and forward collision mitigation.

2016 was the first year that Volkswagen supported Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, so your teen can benefit from smartphone integration including hands-free calling as well as navigation and location services. The Golf is available as a two-door or a four-door hatchback, which means you easily can pack it up for camp or college.

2018 Kia Soul

The 2018 Kia Soul is popular because it’s stylish, comfortable, reliable, and safe. The base trim comes with a 1.6-liter engine, but it’s more common to find the mid-level Plus (+) trim with a 2.0-liter engine. There is a turbocharged Exclaim (!) model available as well, but most families will find the standard Soul more than adequate for their teen.

Standard safety features of the 2018 Soul include electronic brake force distribution as well as stability and traction controls, a full set of airbags, tire pressure monitor, and hill starting assistance. In the mid-level Plus trim, automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, and lane departure warning are optional, and these features are required for the Top Safety Pick + status to apply. Blind spot detection and rear cross traffic alerts also are available as an option.

2016 Subaru Crosstrek

The rugged-looking 2016 Subaru Crosstrek is based on the Impreza platform, and both achieved top IIHS ratings. The Crosstrek is a five-door hatchback with up to 52.5 cubic feet of cargo space, so it’s very useful for a teen going off to college. The Crosstrek comes with either a manual or continuously variable automatic transmission.

Subaru’s chief claim to safety is its symmetrical all-wheel-drive system, which helps keep the car under control in all weather conditions. AWD is standard equipment on all Crosstrek models. Subaru also offers the optional Eyesight system on the Crosstrek, and this package includes forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assistance, and fog lights that move to follow steering inputs.

2017 Mazda3

Mazda is known for making delightful small cars, and the 2017 Mazda3 is no exception. This compact is available as a four-door sedan or as a convenient four-door hatchback. Depending on the trim level, the Mazda3 is powered by a thrifty 2.0-liter or sporty 2.3-liter engine, and offers a choice of manual or automatic transmissions.

Mazda’s safety story is compelling, including the i-ACTIVSENSE safety suite. This package includes advanced safety features such as smart brake support, blind spot monitoring, lane keeping assist, and traffic sign recognition. The 2017 Mazda3 also includes standard G Vectoring Control, which uses the engine to shift weight onto the front wheels during cornering. This reduces understeer, especially in slippery conditions. For a teen driver, that could be a lifesaver.

2016 Nissan Sentra

The 2016 Nissan Sentra was updated for the model year, and it became safer and more efficient than it previously had been. The optional Technology Package on the upper-end SR and SL trim levels includes the features you want, such as forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking. That feature is required to maintain the Top Safety Pick + rating.

Optional safety equipment for this year of the Sentra includes blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alerts. These are important for any driver, but critical for a teen with limited experience. Finally, Nissan offers NissanConnect services, which will automatically notify authorities in the event of a collision, allow your teen to make emergency SOS calls, and monitor teen speeds, curfews, and geographic boundaries.

2017 Toyota Corolla

The 2017 Toyota Corolla always is one of the top-selling compact sedans in America, and there’s a good reason for that. One of the best reasons to buy a late-model used Corolla is the presence of Toyota Safety Sense-P. This advanced safety suite is standard on all trim levels, and includes adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, automatic high beams, and a collision mitigation system that detects pedestrians crossing the car’s path. A backup camera also became standard equipment on all 2017 Corollas.

One potential negative is that in 2017, the Corolla did not support Android Auto or Apple CarPlay for full smartphone integration, but it did offer hands-free Bluetooth calling and Toyota’s Entune app suite.

2016 Chevrolet Malibu

All other things being equal, a larger car is safer than a smaller one. So a midsize sedan such as the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu might be a good choice for your teen driver. The Malibu also offers the capability to carry the whole family, if the car is to be shared. Beyond that, the Malibu returns up to 27 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway, so it’s a good choice for a teen’s limited fuel budget.

Standard safety features provided in the Malibu include stability and traction controls, daytime running lights, and brake assistance. But another big safety feature is GM’s OnStar function. This subscription-based system includes features like automatic crash response, the ability to call for assistance, and even turn-by-turn directions if the driver gets lost.

2017 Honda Civic

The 2017 Honda Civic is a great choice for a new driver because Honda has been refining this car for the last 45 years. A Civic always is affordable and thrifty, offering great gas mileage including up to 40 mpg on the highway. For 2017, most Civics come with a continuously variable automatic transmission, but a manual is available.

The 2017 Civic earns top marks across the board for crash safety. Available advanced safety features include Honda’s innovative LaneWatch system, which displays a camera view of the car’s right-hand blind spot on the main infotainment display when the right-hand turn signal is activated. Once you’ve experienced this feature, you’ll want it. The LaneWatch package also includes adaptive cruise control, collision and road departure mitigation, and lane keeping assistance.

2016 Ford Fusion

Another midsize sedan to consider is the 2016 Ford Fusion. Ford did a good job making the Fusion interior comfortable, and the car is pleasant to drive. If you find one with the available cold weather package, the Fusion has heated seats.

When it comes to safety, Ford has some impressive optional equipment. The 2016 Fusion was available with hands-free parallel and perpendicular parking capabilities that are nearly magical. Together with the available blind spot and rear cross traffic monitoring features, this can make parking lot maneuvers much safer. Statistically, parking lots are one of the most common places for teens to have a fender bender.

2017 Hyundai Elantra

One of the benefits of choosing a 2017 Hyundai Elantra is that Hyundai introduced a new Value Edition for this model year. The Elantra Value Edition not only earned a Top Safety Pick + rating, it includes key safety features such as blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alerts, lane keeping and lane change assistance, and LED daytime running lights.

Additionally, the Value Edition includes desirable features like a 7-inch infotainment system with support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, heated seats, and a rearview camera. A few more safety features are optional on the top Limited trim. These include automatic high beams, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, and adaptive cruise control.